One Year Ago Today The Nintendo Switch Was Revealed

Can you believe it’s been an entire year since the Nintendo Switch was officially announced and shown off for the first time? Do you remember where you were (hopefully here!)? Although it had been known as Codename NX for over a year before it was officially unveiled, the rumors were in overdrive leading up to the reveal. It turns out many of them came true, including the Nintendo Switch’s hybrid nature. Here’s the first official trailer for the Switch where the concept of “play anywhere” is expertly showcased.

In its official press release, Nintendo described how the Joy-Con controllers are detachable and that the same games are played on the go or at home on the TV. A full list of third parties were revealed and the March release date was confirmed:

In an introductory video released today (http://www.nintendo.com/switch), Nintendo provided the first glimpse of its new home gaming system and revealed that it is called Nintendo Switch. In addition to providing single and multiplayer thrills at home, the Nintendo Switch system also enables gamers to play the same title wherever, whenever and with whomever they choose. The mobility of a handheld is now added to the power of a home gaming system to enable unprecedented new video game play styles.

At home, Nintendo Switch rests in the Nintendo Switch Dock that connects the system to the TV and lets you play with family and friends in the comfort of your living room. By simply lifting Nintendo Switch from the dock, the system will instantly transition to portable mode, and the same great gaming experience that was being enjoyed at home now travels with you. The portability of Nintendo Switch is enhanced by its bright high-definition display. It brings the full home gaming system experience with you to the park, on an airplane, in a car, or to a friend’s apartment.

Gaming springs into action by removing detachable Joy-Con controllers from either side of Nintendo Switch. One player can use a Joy-Con controller in each hand; two players can each take one; or multiple Joy-Con can be employed by numerous people for a variety of gameplay options. They can easily click back into place or be slipped into a Joy-Con Grip accessory, mirroring a more traditional controller. Or, if preferred, the gamer can select an optional Nintendo Switch Pro Controller to use instead of the Joy-Con controllers. Furthermore, it is possible for numerous people to bring their Nintendo Switch systems together to enjoy local multiplayer face-to-face competition.

“Nintendo Switch allows gamers the freedom to play however they like,” said Reggie Fils-Aime, President and COO, Nintendo of America. “It gives game developers new abilities to bring their creative visions to life by opening up the concept of gaming without boundaries.”

Developers can design their games supporting a variety of play styles, which gives gamers the freedom to choose an experience that best suits them. Some of the publishers, developers and middleware partners announcing support for Nintendo Switch are as follows:

505 Games

Activision Publishing, Inc.

ARC SYSTEM WORKS Co., Ltd.

ATLUS CO., LTD.

Audiokinetic Inc.

Autodesk, Inc.

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.

Bethesda

CAPCOM CO., LTD.

Codemasters®

CRI Middleware Co., Ltd.

DeNA Co., Ltd.

Electronic Arts

Epic Games Inc.

Firelight Technologies

FromSoftware, Inc.

Frozenbyte

GameTrust

GRASSHOPPER MANUFACTURE INC．

Gungho Online Entertainment, Inc.

HAMSTER Corporation

Havok

INTI CREATES CO., LTD.

KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD.

Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.

LEVEL-5 Inc.

Marvelous Inc.

Maximum Games, LLC

Nippon Ichi Software, Inc.

Parity Bit Inc.

PlatinumGames Inc.

RAD Game Tools, Inc.

RecoChoku Co., Ltd.

SEGA Games Co., Ltd.

Silicon Studio Corporation

Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.

SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD.

Starbreeze Studios

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.

Telltale Games

THQ Nordic

Tokyo RPG Factory Co., Ltd.

TT Games

UBISOFT

Ubitus Inc.

Unity Technologies, Inc.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Web Technology Corp

Today’s video incorporated short glimpses of representative gameplay to demonstrate the liberating nature of the Nintendo Switch home gaming system. Full game demonstrations, the list of launch window titles, as well as launch date, price, product configuration and related specifics, will be shown and announced prior to the March launch.

Of course what Nintendo showed a year ago was just the tip of the iceberg. Many more companies jumped on board once the system started to sell out of the gate, and now there are a ton of digital games on the eShop (approaching 200).

We still have a ways to go before the Switch’s first anniversary, but so far 2017 has been a crazy good year for game releases. Not only has Nintendo been firing on all cylinders with its fantastic lineup of first party software, but the indie games are plentiful. The ability to take these games on the go and play them anywhere has been a huge boon, and something that has resonated with the gaming public. It seems the Switch has really delivered its promise outlined in its first trailer! We’re excited to see what comes next.

Craig has been covering the video game industry since 1995. His work has been published across a wide spectrum of media sites. He’s currently the Editor-In-Chief of Nintendo Times and contributes to Gaming Age.